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Fertility Intentions and Preferences: Effects of Structural and Financial Incentives and Constraints in Austria

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  • Henriette Engelhardt

Abstract

Taking as a starting point the low period fertility rates in Austria, this paper addresses the question to which extent the low period fertility rates in Austria can be accounted for by effects of structural and financial measures. Using data from the Austrian Population Policy Acceptance Survey 2001 we analyse the effects of these two publicly controversial discussed incentives on the desired total number of children, on wanting no (more) children, and on fertility aspirations under the implementation of certain public policies. Based on zero-inflated Poisson models we find that only structural constraints have an effect on the desired number of children, while financial constraints have no effect. Logistic regression results suggest that neither structural nor financial factors affect the desire for wanting (more) children. Concerning the fertility aspiration under the implementation of certain policy measures our results based on matching methods indicate that both structural and financial incentives would have an effect on thinking about having a(nother) child, on deciding to have a(nother) child, as well as on having the first/next child sooner. However, at parity zero financial incentives seemed to be more important, while at parity one especially structural incentives are the driven force of fertility aspirations.

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  • Henriette Engelhardt, 2004. "Fertility Intentions and Preferences: Effects of Structural and Financial Incentives and Constraints in Austria," VID Working Papers 0402, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.
    • Handle: RePEc:vid:wpaper:0402
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    2. Frank Heiland & Alexia Prskawetz & Warren C. Sanderson, 2005. "Do the More-Educated Prefer Smaller Families?," VID Working Papers 0503, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.
    3. Hanna Vseviov & Allan Puur & Mark Gortfelder, 2023. "Fertility Intentions and Sexual Orientation: Evidence from the 2020 Youth Survey in Estonia," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(2), pages 1-26, April.
    4. Alexia Prskawetz & Tomáš Sobotka & Isabella Buber-Ennser & Henriette Engelhardt & Richard Gisser, 2008. "Austria: Persistent low fertility since the mid-1980s," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 19(12), pages 293-360.
    5. Colleen Ray & Sela Harcey & Arthur Greil & Stacy Tiemeyer & Julia McQuillan, 2018. "Stability and change in personal fertility ideals among U.S. women in heterosexual relationships," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 39(16), pages 459-486.
    6. Henriette Engelhardt & Alexia Prskawetz, 2005. "Socioeconomic patterns and determinants of adult mortality due to external-causes in India: Analysis of nationally-representative, population-based survey data," VID Working Papers 0502, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.
    7. Frank Heiland & Alexia Prskawetz & Warren C. Sanderson, 2008. "Are Individuals’ Desired Family Sizes Stable? Evidence from West German Panel Data," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 24(2), pages 129-156, June.
    8. Anne Gauthier & Christoph Bühler & Joshua Goldstein & Saskia Hin, 2011. "Fertility preferences: what measuring second choices teaches us," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 9(1), pages 131-156.
    9. Franz Schwarz, 2004. "Analysis of Inequalities in Waiting Time at the Visit to the Physician using Regression Modeling for Duration Data," VID Working Papers 0404, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.
    10. Tomáš Sobotka, 2009. "Sub-Replacement Fertility Intentions in Austria [Intentions de fécondité inférieures au seuil de remplacement en Autriche]," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 25(4), pages 387-412, November.

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